The Guardians

Since the eleventh century a group of eunuchs known as the Guardians have protected the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina, charged with looking after the keys to the Prophet Muhammad’s burial chamber in the holy site. In 2013 the Governor of Medina commissioned Saudi photographer Adel Quraishi to take portraits of the eight remaining guardians, three of whom have since died. Part of the NOUR festival, this exhibition presents all the portraits with a never-before-seen photograph of the mosque’s interior.